Judgment
MOHAMMED LAWAL ABUBAKAR, J.C.A. (Delivering the Leading Judgment): This is an appeal against the ruling of the Federal High Court, sitting in Jalingo before S D Pam, Judge that was delivered on the 2nd day of December 2019 in respect of the Motion Ex-Parte no. FHC/JAL/M/81/2019 and sought for the following reliefs as: 1. LEAVE of this Honourable Court for the substituted service of the processes of this Honourable Court on all the Defendants by dropping them with any staff of the 3rd Defendant at its office in Taraba Investment House Jalingo, Taraba State. 2.
AN ORDER of this Honourable Court restraining the (sic) 1st Defendants and any other persons appointed by the 2nd and 3rd Defendants as Managing Director or Directors of the 9th Plaintiff and from doing anything prejudicial to the interest of the Plaintiffs pending the hearing and determination of the pending application. 3. AN ORDER abridging the time within which the Defendants are to file and serve their reply to 8 days. 4. AND for such order or orders this Honourable Court may deem just to make in the circumstance of this case. See Pages 73-91 of Record of Appeal.
The above prayers in the Ex-Parte Motion No: FHC/JAL/M/81/2019 was granted as prayed by the trial Court as to Orders of substituted service, Interim injunction and Abridgment of Time against the Appellants that have resulted into this present appeal. See Page 178 of Record of Appeal.
Dissatisfied with the said order of the Motion No: FHC/JAL/M/81/2019 by the trial Court and its further grant of the Orders of substituted service, Interim injunction and Abridgment of Time against them, the Appellants filed their original Notice of Appeal on the 12th day of December, 2019 and same can be found at Pages 184-188 of Record of Appeal. Furthermore, during the hearing of the appeal on 08/06/2022 the Record of Appeal was transmitted on 30/12/2019 and deemed 08/09/2020 and also the amended Notice of Appeal filed on 20/10/2021 and deemed 07/03/2022.
The Appellants further filed a Motion on Notice for their appeal to be heard based on the Appellants’ brief and was granted as prayed. The Learned Counsel for the Appellant adopted the Appellants’ joint brief of Argument filed on 20/10/2021 and deemed 07/03/22 as representing his argument for the appeal.
